Visual merchandising revolves around how you place products in a retail setting, present them to the consumer public, and essentially market them at the ground level. When done right, it can bring in customers and create positive associations with your brand, as well as drive sales and ongoing patronage.

That said, visual merchandising is not restricted to fixed retail locations. Many retailers participate in trade shows, craft fairs, expos, and other events where visual merchandising can be equally important. To some degree, the overall success of an event hangs on visual merchandising (although other factors like booth placement, competition, and audience certainly play a role).

If you want to see the best results when attending such events, your visual merchandising strategy has to be on point. To that end, there are a few key details on which you’ll want to focus.

Floor Plans

You know that there are key areas in your retail store where you need to grab attention in order to bring customers in and drive sales. The same principle applies to your booth layout. For starters, the “storefront” has to appeal to passersby at the event to get them in your booth, which means you’ll need a strong visual merchandising strategy at the entry.

Your layout will depend on several factors, including the dimensions of your booth, the merchandise you want to display, and the goals you have in displaying it (brand awareness, product sales, customer experience, etc.). Will you have tables? Signage? Interactive exhibits? A fixed point of sale? All of these elements will affect your floor plan. One good strategy is to use a design program so you can try different layouts virtually to find the perfect plan.

Display Guidelines

You need to make the most of your space and take steps to ensure that your displays help you accomplish your goals. Consider, for example, that a large back wall space is the perfect place to < href=”https://www.moddisplays.com/post/how-to-layout-your-trade-show-booth” target=_blank”>display bold signage that attracts visitors and delivers messaging without interfering with product displays.

You also need to focus on practical considerations like making sure people can get to the products they’re interested in, that you have inventory on hand to fill holes and keep displays looking fresh, and that you include pricing on products or product displays so customers can quickly figure out if they want to buy instead of lingering to speak with a salesperson and holding up traffic in the process.

Visitor Flow

Your space is naturally limited at an event and you need to use every square inch wisely. Organization is the key to ensuring you get your message across and provide ample access for visitors. You must control the flow of traffic through your booth so people can get in, get what they want, and get back out without holding up other customers.

Setting focal points can help to drive traffic in a certain direction at a certain speed. For example, if you have a display that people will want to stop and look at for a while, consider placing it on one corner or the outer perimeter of the booth so as not to jam people up inside. Place your POS at an exit point and consider placing a central display so you can drive traffic around it in one direction and maximize display space. The right visual merchandising strategy can help you to accomplish all of your goals at events.

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